When PCSing to Germany as a mechanic, will I live in the barracks or will I be able to get a house? Also, how is being stationed in Germany?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 10:55:32 -0400

Did you learn German? I Heard most Germans know English?

Response by SrA John Monette made Apr 16 at 2021 11:20 AM

SrA John Monette — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 11:20:58 -0400

take the time to learn at least conversational German. Goes a long way, no matter what country you are in

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2021 11:23 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 11:23:57 -0400

Live* everyone knows you can love in the barracks ha....ha.....ha

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Apr 16 at 2021 11:25 AM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 11:25:08 -0400

My father told me if I would go to Germany to live amongst the Germans for cultrual reasons. I did AT when I was a young Reseve Soldier in K-Town. I really like the Germans. They were up front with me. If they did not like me they told me. If they liked me they told me. You can build some really strong relationships with those who choose to like you.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2021 12:28 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 12:28:20 -0400

Depends on the base/kasern you get assigned to. Plan for barracks life, though. As for Germans speaking English, yes for the most part they do. However, it will go a long way if you try speaking Duetsche first. Also, if they still do it, you may very well go thru what is called (when I went thru it) Headstart Program. There, you'll learn some passable German language skills and learn about some of the culture.

Response by SP5 Peter Keane made Apr 16 at 2021 5:52 PM

SP5 Peter Keane — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 17:52:28 -0400

Americans generally are a people who rarely have second language skills, whereas the Europeans and Middle Easterners know 2 or more as a matter of course. Even the Beatles spoke German

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2021 5:59 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 17:59:40 -0400

Germany was the best station I had in my 27 years of service. As mentioned in someone else's post it depends on the kasern you are at. Otherwise if your married you can get off post or on post housing. Germans speak English for the most part.but some choose not to due to hate etc. Good luck to you and I hope you have a great experience there. I loved every minute of it.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Apr 16 at 2021 6:21 PM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:21:22 -0400

If you are single you will live in the barracks. You should try to learn the language of any host country. It is a sign of respect and they appreciate the effort. Germans do speak English at varying levels. I did learn German. Germany is a wonderful country full of great people. You will enjoy it if you try.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2021 9:24 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 21:24:11 -0400

Germany is awesome, get your passport and take advantage of travel when you can and if covid permits. Enjoy the beer, enjoy the countryside, lots of outdoors and there is always one more castle to explore. Germans are for the most part friendly as long as youre respectful. Many can and do speak english, how many you find that do will increase based on where you are stationed. K town is fairly americanized and you can expect some american comforts there. Graf, hohenfels, ansbach and baumholder are all in a fairly country area and as such less people speak english. Doesnt hurt to ask. As far as learning german, many english speakers have an easier time learning german than anyone else. Enjoy it.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 17 at 2021 5:31 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 05:31:08 -0400

The best person to answer that for you will be your sponsor in Germany. The norm is for SGTs to live in the barracks if they are single and there is room. If there is room you will be in barracks. So, before you send off your whole five bedroom house to Germany get in contact with someone in that unit who could answer that better then anyone on here.

Response by SPC Robert Hendrickson made Apr 17 at 2021 9:52 PM

SPC Robert Hendrickson — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 21:52:25 -0400

when i was stationed in W. Germany from '76-'80 and '82-85, we did have to learn some basic phrases and i went above and beyond.. how? i went out into the community and shopped and learned to look-see at the newspaper, and learned to adjust to the economy per se. and then depending on what part/district you are stationed at most Germans do know some broken - spoken English, like in the larger towns and a few smaller villages .. Enjoy being stationed in Germany .. blessings. :-)

Response by SPC Robert Hendrickson made Apr 17 at 2021 10:21 PM

SPC Robert Hendrickson — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 22:21:55 -0400

oh also depending on your marital status and conditions that if you will have military barracks or off post/base housing check with HRC before move and all else will be okay.blessings

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2021 3:33 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 03:33:51 -0400

If you are single, you will be in the barracks. If you get promoted to SSG, some Kasernes have BEQ (Currently, Katterbach does not, all the single SSGs were moved into the barracks last year). If you get married, you can move into on-post housing. Generally speaking, the only people that get off-post housing are married Soldiers with more children/dependents than are allowed in housing (IIRC, the largest on-post residence is 4 bedroom), and certain Officers.

You can make the effort to learn Deutch. Most Germans (and most Europeans) speak English to varying degrees. At the very least, it helps to learn some common words, which can help while traveling (if the COVID lockdowns ever stop). One thing that really helped me was using the Google Translate app on my phone. I've used the "scan to translate" feature to read signs, and I used the "speak to translate" feature when talking with the DPW maintenance man, who spoke very little English.